


Together

by Taarbas



Series: Surfacers [8]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Frank discussion of polyamory, beginning of relationship, i don't think a rating above teen is necessary but ill change it if people are like yes bump it up, sequal to Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:05:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6597865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taarbas/pseuds/Taarbas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>X6 has to deal with the things he said in a sleep fogged haze last night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together

X6 expected Tracy to be gone when he woke. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she left before he had even fallen asleep- after all, she needed sleep more than he did- but she hadn’t, so he had drifted off and simply assumed she’d leave soon after. However, the warm breath at his neck and the hair tickling his face told him that no, she hadn’t left. She was still right there, wrapped up in his arms with her legs tangled in his. He pursed his lips, not daring to move, hardly daring to breathe. He knew this would be the first and last time he’d ever get so close to her. He wanted to drag it out, make it last, give him something to hold onto when the he was alone. Her breath was slow and even, completely at ease despite the fact she slept in the arms of one of the Commonwealth’s most hated denizens. He wondered what he’d done to deserve something so great. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was some sort of test the scientists had designed, seeing how far he’d push his boundaries. All logic told him he had failed, and horribly at that. He feared what would be done to him, but didn’t pull away from Tracy. 

She stirred, and with a flash of anxiety he shut his eyes, trying to even his breathing. He didn’t want to get up, didn’t want to leave her arms. She was safer here than anywhere else in the Commonwealth, save another companion’s home. The Institute would want her staying with someone like Preston or Curie, with him outside on guard, not in bed with her. If Father could see what was happening… He stopped the train of thought before it started, his heart already pounding. X6 would not give away he was awake if he could help it. “X?” She whispered, her voice so low he could hardly hear. When he didn’t respond, she carefully lowered her head, resting her chin on his shoulder. She didn’t prod, letting him rest. Guilt twisted his chest, and with a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes. She looked less tired than he thought she would, her hair tangled around her face and remnants of her eyeliner smudged around her eyes. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” She asked, ever considerate. He wanted to shake her sometimes, demand to know why she felt the need to look after him. Sometimes, he was afraid it was because she thought he was useless, that he couldn’t perform as he needed to. 

“No, ma’am,” She nodded, gently untangling herself from him. He refused to meet her eye, staring down at the pillow instead. He had crossed more than a handful of boundaries last night, let alone sleeping with her. The memory of his half-sobbed confession greeted him, and he cringed. Oh he was going to catch  _ hell _ for that. Tracy sat up, smoothing her hair down as best as she could. 

“Ok, you coherent enough to talk? Or do you wanna wait until after breakfast?” In truth, he wanted to postpone this for as long as he could. With luck, he could find a particularly irritable Deathclaw and let it off him, feed his flesh to its young. Could Deathclaws eat Synth flesh? He didn’t know. He hoped they could. However, if he went with her to breakfast, and he knew she’d insist, he was afraid he’d throw up. 

“You need to eat, ma’am,” He insisted, and she shrugged.

“I can wait if you’d rather talk now. Unless you’re hungry. I promise you aren’t in trouble, doll. I just gotta clear the air, ya know?” He didn’t, but nodded anyway. “Alright. Why don’t we go get something to eat? I gotta get Nick and Hancock anyway, with luck they’ll be up already,” As they walked, he wondered what the ghoul and synth had to do with his punishment. He knew Tracy had said that he wasn’t in trouble, but plenty of the scientists had employed the same tactic to make sure none of the synths suddenly vanished on them. Ayo was known for it, assuring the Coursers in honeyed tones that there was nothing wrong before getting them where he needed them and revealing the figurative rod. 

Although almost all the houses had their own working kitchens, most people still ate in what was dubbed the Commonhouse. It was apparently the first house everyone had stayed in when Preston brought everyone to Sanctuary for the first time, and had since been converted into a place for traders to stop and rest and grab a bite to eat. It also allowed travelers a place to stop, or new settlers a place to sleep as living arrangements were worked out. When Tracy and X6 walked in, it was already crowded, companions and settlers alike clustered together and talking over their food or coffee. In one corner, he spotted Preston, the busy Minuteman standing in a corner and trying to quickly finish off whatever he was eating for breakfast. Despite clearly trying to blend in, Tracy spotted him, shooting him a sharp glare and jerking her head at one of the many tables. Guiltily, he made his way over and sat, slowing down enough to actually taste his food. He tended to wolf his breakfast down, if he ate at all, and rush out to patrol when Tracy wasn’t around. She made him stop and rest if she was around and happened to catch him in the act. Off to the side, X6 spotted MacCready, loudly boasting about a Mirelurk he and Tracy had killed a while back to a group of star eyed children. They all seemed to be eating Sugar Bombs from the same box, passing it around the impromptu gathering and digging handfuls out of the box. Deacon was nearby, gesturing wildly as he argued with Danse. “C’mon X,” Tracy coaxed, tugging him away from a group of traders who were glaring openly at him. She shot them her own glare over her shoulder, her hand gentle yet insistent on his back as she walked up to Codsworth. The old bot tended to cook in the mornings, claiming it gave him a sense of normalcy. He apparently used to cook for Tracy’s husband before the war, and Tracy when she’d let him. “I hate making him work. I feel terrible,” Tracy had explained when X6 had asked. “He deserves to go have fun, and instead he’s asking me what kind of pancakes I want.” 

“Mum!” The bot chirped, a chef’s hat eschew on his head. Tracy had a habit of bringing hats back for him, happily plopping them on his head and giving him ridiculous titles to go along with it. “Would you and sir like something to eat? I’m afraid most of the food is already gone, but don’t worry! I can whip something up if need be!” He floated to the side, allowing Tracy to see the mostly empty plates on the kitchen counters. How late was it? So wrapped up in his own worries, X6 hadn’t even paid attention to the sun as they headed out, nor the clock in his room. Looking around, he noted most of the settlers still dressed as if they were going to bed, as well as most of the Companions. It couldn’t be that late, he reasoned, but he was used to waking before dawn. Mentally, he berated himself for oversleeping, and then drawing it out on top of it. 

“Don’t worry Codsworth,” She laughed, patting the robot’s side. “We aren’t picky. Besides,” Her voice dropped low enough for only Codsworth and X6 to hear, “We all know someone will just want snack cakes for breakfast.” Her tone was light, teasing, and Codsworth chuckled, one of the lenses in his eyes contracting. X6 assumed that was his version of winking. He didn’t reply to the comment, instead just following Tracy into the kitchen. Grabbing some bread, she leaned against the counter, waiting for him to pick something. He did the same, waiting for her to leave before following. “You not hungry?” She asked, chewing the edge of the bread. He shook his head, trying to force back the nervous nausea he felt. “Me neither. I don’t eat breakfast too often,” She admitted, taking a spot at a mostly empty table. He sat across from her, more picking the bread apart than actually eating it. She didn’t comment, letting him work the piece into crumbs before she spoke again. “So, I was thinking we could all talk about this after we’re done in here. I saw Nick already, and I have no qualms against waking Hancock up. That man will sleep until four if you let him, regardless of how early he went to bed. I don’t know how he doesn’t,” She shrugged, finishing off her piece of bread before standing. He had worried his to crumbs, maybe eating two bites if he was lucky. Even then, he felt ready to vomit, his head spinning. “Ready to go?” She asked, stretching her shoulder until it popped with a sickening crack. “Or you wanna stay and relax? Or eat more? We’re in no rush, whenever you’re comfortable.” He stood.

“You should get that looked at, ma’am,” He said, looking at her shoulder. She shrugged. 

“Was like that before the war too. C’mon, let’s get Nick,” The detective wasn’t hard to find, standing next to Struges’ workshop and smoking. Petunia stood with him, watching Struges carefully put together a rifle. “Nick?” Tracy asked, and the detective turned, eyes crinkling as he smiled. She approached, X6 hanging back as she whispered something to the synth. He nodded, following her back and smiling warmly at X6. 

“How’s your morning?” He asked as they walked, Tracy leading them towards Hancock’s. X6 simply nodded, hoping that would suffice. Nick didn’t press. Rapping her knuckles on the door, Tracy called out,

“Hancock? Hancock?!” Waiting for a few moments, she let out a sigh. X6 was secretly glad the ghoul wasn’t up. It allowed him to postpone this for at least a little while. Tracy tried the door, and finding it open, headed inside, ready to drag the ghoul into the mess. A hand rested on X6’s shoulder, and he turned, finding Nick standing closer than before.

“Hey. Don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be fine,” The synth assured, squeezing his shoulder. X6 didn’t reply, wondering when they would drop the act. He’d much rather them be upfront with their anger than hide it. A loud thud made the pair turn, Hancock grumbling tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. Tracy was behind him, waiting patiently for his eyes to adjust to the sunlight before ushering him on. 

“C’mon you three. Where do we want to do this?” At the other’s shrugs, she sighed. “X? How about your home? That way we can leave you in peace afterwards, and you don’t gotta worry about goin’ anywhere,” He nodded, wondering what they had planned that would warrant him having to already be in his own home. He shuddered. No doubt it would be gruesome and painful. With each step his heart grew heavier and his stomach more knotted until he felt like he was carrying a heavy pack on his chest and would vomit at the slightest touch. The group entered without a word, X6 feeling himself begin to sweat in fear. He wished he had his sunglasses. “X? You okay?” Tracy asked, and he nodded, swallowing around a dry throat. “Why don’t you sit down? This might take a while,” He obeyed, taking a seat on a ruined couch. Tracy sat across from him, Nick and Hancock on either side of her. She sighed, smoothing her hands over her pants. “X, they already know about what happened last night. I only told them what they need to know, don’t fret. They’re both more than happy to talk this out,” Nick’s hand found its way on Tracy’s knee, his metal digits digging in slightly. Hancock gave him a lazy smile, half draped on the couch. 

“We’re all good, friend,” The ghoul rasped, yawning around his hand. Tracy rolled her eyes. 

“To put it one way. X, you admitted to being interested in me, yes?” He nodded, twisting his fingers together. “Well, to be frank, I’m interested in you,” His eyes widened and his head snapped up, staring at Tracy like a Raddoe. She smiled, completely at ease despite his clear confusion. 

“I-I’m afraid I don’t understand, ma’m. What does this have to do with me overstepping my-” She waved her hand, leaning forward.

“Sweet thing. This has nothing to do with whatever rules the Institute taught you. You were completely okay. Trust me, if you had done something, I would’ve let you know. Is this what you thought this was about?” At his nod, she explained. “Sweetie, we were going to discuss how this relationship might work with you,” His eyes darted between the trio, shocked to find nothing but warmth in their eyes. “Petunia told me she already explained polyamory to you… is this true? We can explain it some more, or answer any questions you might have-”

“Why?” He blurted, getting up and beginning to pace. The trio watched him, letting him chew through this new information. “Why  _ me _ ?” He corrected. Tracy looked taken aback.

“I thought...I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood. I thought you were interested in me, if not that’s okay! We can forget this ever happened and-”

“No!” And then softer, “No...I, I am interested. But...not in them,” He admitted, looking between the synth and ghoul. The two shrugged, seemingly unphased.

“I figured,” Tracy began.

“We don’t mind. Tracy’s welcome to date whoever she chooses,” Nick continued, Hancock cutting in.

“We don’t gotta be apart of it, ya feel? That changes, it changes. It doesn’t, it doesn’t. Way I see it, so long as you’re not freaked out, we’re good too,” The ghoul shrugged even as the synth glared at him for cutting him off. X6 had noticed that about those two, they tended to either finish each other's sentences or completely cut the other off. 

“What we’re trying to say is,” Tracy said, “You’re more than welcome to date me and would be under no obligation to put up with either of these two. You don't have to date, you don’t have to sleep together, hell you don’t even have to show each other physical affection. You just need to be okay with the thought of me dating the both of them, and showing them affection, and spending time with them and the like,” 

“And sleeping with us,” Hancock added, ignored the glare Nick shot him. 

“The doll’s right. We’ll leave you two alone when you ask, and won’t call you the pet names we call each other. You’d be involved with Tracy and only Tracy,” 

“More than welcome to talk to us though. Fuck, do talk to us. It keeps everything smooth,” Hancock said. X6 stared, frank confusion on his face. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Tracy rushed to speak, “And none of us expect you to make a decision now. Take your time. As much as you need. When you’re ready, come talk to us. I promise you, no matter what you choose, we will not be upset with you. Ok? Please, please, don’t feel like you have to pick something to make us happy. If you say yes? Great. You say no? Great. We won’t bring it up again and we won’t treat you any different. Ok?” He nodded, having stopped pacing. 

“I would like some time to think, ma’am,” She nodded, nudging Hancock as she stood in order to alert him. Nick stood as well, smiling warmly at the courser.

“Don’t worry, ok? Take your time,” He assured, the trio wishing him a good day as they left. True to his word, X6 mulled it over. Would he be willingly to do something like this? What if he agreed to keep the other two out, and then wanted to involve them? Could he bring himself to ask? With a sigh, he walked into his room. He could mull this over while he showered. 

At first he was afraid to take any more time, afraid that for all their kind words they wanted an answer now. However, Tracy stopped him before he could answer, telling him to take as much time as he needed and not to rush into it. It was her way of saying that she saw through his “I know what I’m doing” act and to make sure he was okay. He ended up not giving them an answer for a few days. Most of that time had been spent with Petunia, letting her in on the secret and getting advice from the robot. It should have shamed him, not being as well versed in human culture as a robot much younger than him. And yet, he still came to her whenever he was too nervous or embarrassed to ask Tracy. She had helped him get his emotions and thoughts straight, even going as far as to help him figure out how to word his response. 

As he approached the trio, having waited until they were all together to give his answer, all practiced lines left him. “Ma’am?” He asked, twisting his gloves in his hands. It was another hot day, and Tracy had unzipped her suit again. She smiled up at him, zipping it back up as she stood. “I’d like to discuss our...relationship,” He tried, hoping it didn’t come off as too stiff. She nodded. 

“Want the other two to come with? Or no? I can pass it on to them if you’re nervous,” She said, and he shook his head.

“I’d like to just do it now, ma’am. And here,” He glanced around, making sure they really were alone. She nodded, Hancock and Nick standing as well. Standing together like this, he could see how much of an odd picture they had to make. Hancock hardly came up to Tracy’s shoulder and was skinnier than a rail, his damaged flesh a stark contrast even to Tracy’s heavily scarred face. Nick wasn’t much wider, his broken pieces making him all the more frail looking, but at least he was a few inches taller than Tracy. X6 knew he was larger than all three of them, taller than Nick by exactly half an inch and covered in lean muscle. Tracy, however, was wider than him, a soft layer of fat hiding the raw strength in her body. He’d seen MacCready punch her in the stomach once, shocked to find that past that small layer laid hard muscle that yes, definitely hurt if you hit it wrong. Shaking his head to chase the thought away, he took a deep breath. “Ma’am, I’d like to try,” He began, wringing his gloves all the more. “B-But just with us. For now. I do not know how it might proceed, ma’am,” He continued, refusing to meet their eyes. When he finally plucked up the courage to do so, he found Tracy all but beaming at him, Nick and Hancock with nothing but open and encouraging expressions on their faces. 

“I’m glad to hear it doll,” She said, stepping forward and folding her hands over his. “You did so good,” She praised, “I’m glad that you took your time,” He flushed, dropping his eyes again. “Anything you wanna specify? Like, affection wise?” He shook his head.

“I-I don’t care ma’am. If they want to kiss you, that’s their business, whether or not I’m there,” Nick and Hancock nodded, Nick stepping forward to clap him on the back. 

“Breathe kiddo,” He teased, and X6 let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “We’re happy for ya. Glad to hear you’re gettin’ a little more comfortable talkin’ to us too.” 

“Her neck’s ticklish,” Hancock blurted out, grinning widely when Tracy turned to glare at him. “Figured you’d like to know,” He continued, easily avoiding the half hearted swipe she took at him. 

“You sure you’re still okay with this? Now that you’ve been reminded of how Hancock acts?” Tracy teased. X6’s mouth twitched into a smile. 

“Of course, ma’am.” 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope the polyamory thing checks out! I'm poly myself, but sadly I have (literally) never dated anyone, just never had the chance lol. Please don't feel bad about calling me out on it, I'm always willing to listen/learn! I tried to make sure it was all talked out/consensual.


End file.
